Garment-pressing machine.



Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m'uemtoz E. H. ZAUHARIAS.

GARMENT PHESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1914.

1L, 1 1 5,866., Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

Z sHEETS SHEET 2.

TI E 0 7 5-1 E1 7 -19 I -5 I i: W1

Elli! EDWIN H. ZACH-ARIAS, or nnAnING, PENNSYLVANIA.

GARMENT-PRESSING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 7, 1914. Serial N0. 837,076.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. ZAOHARIAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Pressing Machines; and I do herebyv declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon;

This invention relates to machines for pressing wearing apparel and garments particularly in the finishing processes wherein the pressing operations must be performed under the close scrutiny and accurate control of the person'performing the operation.

'The machine adopted for illustrating the invention'is one particularly adaptedfor ressing the seams of trousers, coats, skirts,

- and the like, and for supporting such garments while being pressed it is provided with an ironingboard whichprojects from a suitable framework, whereby the gar ments :may be conveniently placed in position' on or removed from the free or projecting end of the board, and in connection with such a board there is provided a reciprocatory carriage on which is mounted an'iron adapted to be accurately controlled both in the pressure exerted by it and in its travel along the ironing board by means ofa handle on which the operators hand may rest With'the body in convenient position to observe the operation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a perspective view of a pressing machine embodying the present improvements. 'Fig. 2 is a transverse section showing the carriage and iron supporting arm in elevation and with the iron depressed in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof a portion ofthe machine frame and carriage with the iron carrying arm swung away from the pressing board to facilitate the placing of a garment on the latter, and in the preferred construction to couple the driving mechanism for returning the iron to its first position. Fig. 4 is afront elevation'showing the iron and its support but omitting the major portion of the machine framej carriage and a portion of the frame with a.

portion of the carriage and clutch mec'ha-' fastening devices.

Fig. 5 isiarear elevation of the 7 Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

, The main frame of the machine embod i ies in its construction a long casting A formed with a way or ways on which the carriage B travels back and forth. At its ends the casting A is supported on suitable .legs or end frames C and at one end it is provided with a forwardly projecting bracket D to which one end of the ironing or pressing board E is rigidly attached by suitable bolts or other approved form of The pressing board usually has its upper surface of cylindrical formation, and in order to make it rigid and unyielding under the pressure of the iron it is preferably backed by. a channel ironE, as best: seen in Fig. 2.

In rearof the frame A there is journaled a long feed screw F having right and left hand threads cut thereon, said feed screw being rotated through gear wheel connections F with a pulley wheel F deriving its power througha suitable'b'elt, although it will be understood that a motor mechanism of any suitable character may be utihzed in place of or for the purpose of driving the pulley. Traveling on the way formed by the frame A is the carriage B preferably havinggflanges b which engage the upper and lower portions of-th'e way or frame A so as to hold the carriage very firmly while permitting it to travel back and forth longitudinally of the frame, and

all of'these partsare inclosed and protected against the garments coming in contact therewith by a 'fixed shield G in front and a partly fixed and partly hinged shield G in the rear,,the hinged portion of the shield being..,adapted to be opened, as shown in Fig. 1, to give access to the feed screw and clutch mechanism for connecting the carriage therewith.' Onj its rear side, the'carriage B is provided with an enlargement B encircling the feed screw and'journaled Within theenlargement are right and left hand nuts H and H, either of. which is adapted to be clamped to the carriage and its rotation thereby prevented, whereby the "carriage will be moved longitudinally by the rotation of the: feedscr ewand the di- 7 -mont independently of the carriage.

inner ends of the nuts are of cone-shape, and intermediate their inner ends a-friction rection of rotation will depend upon which of the nuts is held against rotation. As a convenient and preferred construction, each nut is provided near its outer end with a collar h j ournaled on the nut, and these collars are adapted to be secured to the ends of the enlargement B of the carriage so as to hold the nuts against longitudinal move-- The clutch member I is mounted to have a limited longitudinal movement in the carriage and, by its cooperation with one or the other of the nuts, to lock the same against rotation.

The clutch member I is held against rotation in the carriage and for moving it longitudinally it is preferably provided .with an upwardly projecting pin i adapted to work in a longitudinal slot in the projection B of the carriage and to cooperate with a spiral slot is in a-controlling member K mounted on or forming art of an oscillatory shaft is journaled in tl e carriage and adapted to be controlled by means to be hereinafter described. With the clutch member I in an intermediate position both of the nuts will be free to rotate and the carriage will remain at rest, ut a slight movement of the clutch membe .I in one direction or the other will causeits conical cavity to tightly embrace and engage the conical end of one or the other of the nuts, to thereby lock the latter against rotation and so couple the carriage with the feed screw for movement in one direction or the other. v

The carriage is adapted to support the iron for pressing the garment through the medium of an overhanging arm L mounted on a turntable Z so as to rotate or swing horizontally to a limited extent, its swinging movements being preferably limited by a spring-pressed pinM mounted in the base of the arm and projecting through a slot in the turntable top of the" carriage, said pin being also adapted to lock the arm when the iron is in position for pressing. This lock- 'ing is effected by the cooperation of the head .of the pin M with a suitable recess m in the carriageand the head is caused to enter this recess when drawn upwardly by the spring m surrounding the pin and exerting a con- 'stant upward pressure thereon.

The iron 0 is mounted on aplunger-like stem 0 journaled and movable longitudinally in the head L of the armL, whereby it may be moved vertically and rotated to a limited extent if so desired. For controlling theposition of the iron in its sup orting arm, the stem '0 is surrounded" y a spring o for holding theiron elevated and a lever handle P is jour'iialed on the lower por-. tion of the stem 0' to swing vertically and having at its inner end cam projections P adapted to engage the under face of the head L of the arm, whereby, when the handle is depressed, the iron will be depressed and a powerful pressure exerted against any goods resting on the ironing board, and this pressure may he maintained and the iron controlled accurately under the close observation of the operator during the reciprocatory movements of the carriage and iron.

Obviously, the driving connections between the carriage and feed screw may be controlled automatically or by hand for either reciprocating the carriage and iron continuously or at the will of the operator, but in the preferred construction illustrated, a combined automatic and manual control is provided, that is to say, the mechanism is preferably arranged in such wise that with the carriage and iron at the starting point a depression of the handle P will automatically shift the clutch to couple the proper nut with the carriage for feeding the carriage forwardly, and upon allowing the handle to rise the movements of the carriage and iron will be arrested, and upon the swinging of the arm to one side the other nut will be coupled with the carriage for returning the latter to its initial position, and during the initial position, thus leaving the parts ready to be again turned into position by the oper ator, and the pressing operation continued. To effect these movements with a simple and convenient mechanism, the shaft K is provided with a forwardly projecting clutch operating arm Q, normally held down by a spring 9 in a direction to couple the proper nut for returning the carriage to its initial position at the end of the frame where the pressing operation is started, and in order to hold the arm Q in an intermediate position and to swing it in the o posite direction for feeding the carriage orwardly, a spring lever R is journaled at an intermediate point in its lengthKon one side of the iron carrying arm L. One end of the lever is held in a suitable bearing in a laterally projecting pin 1' on the iron stem or plunger *0, and the opposite end of said lever, is in position to cooperate with a roller '9' on the arm Q whenever the ironvcarrying arm L is in nor-- mal or operative position. The proportloning,and adjustment of the parts is such that with the iron elevated, the lever B will hold the clutch arm Q, in an intermediate position,and upon the depression of the iron the lever R will be swung on its center so as to elevate or swing the clutch arm Q rearwardly. When the said lever B moves out of engagement with the clutch arm Q; by the swinging of the iron carrying arm L ofi to one side of its normal position, the clutch arm Q will be drawn downwardly and for- 5 wardly by its spring so as to throw ,in the reverse feed connection. The lever B is, as

before stated, preferably a spring lever, and

its yielding character fez-the purpose of enabling the clutch members to be thrown into engagement and held firmly together,

should vary somewhat as will frequently be thecase, by reason of the diflerence in thickness of the goods being pressed. The said:

lever is preferably braced by a diagonal rod 1" which will keep it in proper alinement and limit its upward movement, whereby it I will be held in proper position to cotiperate over the pin M, while its forward end occupies a position immediately over an inclined projection S on the plunger 0 of the iron, whereby, when the iron is in elevated position, the pin will be depressed so as to unlock theparts. When, however, the iron is depressed, the pin will be released so as to lock and hold the parts in their normal position. The projection S is inclined in order that a complete unlocking of the iron carrying arm willnot occur unless the iron and its spindle or plunger be turned slightly to one side, thus guarding against the reto allow the iron. to remain in elevated position with the carriage stationary at any point in the length of theironing board. By this arrangement the complete and accurate control is efiected entirely through the manipulation of the lever handle and the latter may be provided at its end with a suitable non-conducting hand piece which will relievethe operator of any necessity of touching the metal parts, inasmuch as the latter are liable to become somewhat highly heat- Fed from the heat of the iron. The iron it will beunderstood is to be heated by electricity or by a gas burner in the well understood way. As shown a gas pipe connection T extends out at the rear and to one side of the iron for the attachment of a flexible gas pipe. The under side of the iron is of concave formation to conform to the convex formation of the pressing board, and while this is the preferred construction it is, of course, obvious that flat surfaces may be employed, should the character of the work to be performed require it. 65. When the carriageis returned to its ini even though the depression of the ironthis lever at. its rear end rests in position.

lease of the parts when it is simply desired tial position or starting end of the frame withthe arm carrying the iron swung off to one side, some means must be provided for disengaging the clutch and arresting the movement of the carriage and this is preferably accomplished by. providing the shaft K with a shifting arm K adapted to contact with afixed projection or incline K located at the end of the bed or way. The incline of the shiftingprojection1K is proper to move the clutch member to its intermediate position and bring the carriage to rest, the return movement being inaugurated by the swinging of the iron carrying arm forwardly and the depression of the iron as hereinbefore described. Obviously, the shifting arm for the clutch may be made to automatically reverse the feed of the carriage, and a corresponding shifting arm and projection may be provided at the opposite end of the'shaft K and frame of the machine so as to effect an automatic movement of the carriage back and forth continuously, the an rangement being the well known planer bed controlling mechanism, but, as aforesaid, the preferred construction is one in which the movements shall be under the accurate control of the operator who must observe closely the operation and the effect of the iron on the articles being pressed. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,'-

1. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon and the pressing board extending parallel with said way but spaced therefrom, of a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, a driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, an arm pivotally mounted on said carriage to swing in ahorizontal plane over and away from the pressing board, an iron mounted in the arm, and vertically movable independently thereof, and a-levcr handle for controlling the depression of the iron- 2. Tu a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a pressing board extending parallel with but spaced from said frame, and a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, of driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, an iron carrying arm pivotally mounted on the carriage to swing horizontally over the pressing board, an iron mounted in said arm and'verticully movable independently thereof, a handle for controlling the depression of the iron, and connections intermediate said handle and driving mechanism for controlling the movements of the carriage by means of said handle.

In a garment pressing machine, the

combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to llll ing mechanism with the carriage are controlled simultaneously.

4. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way and a pressing board extending parallel with but spaced from the way, of an iron carrying arm mounted on the carriage and extending over the pressing board, a vertically movable iron mounted in said arm for cooperation with garments spread on the pressing board, driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, a clutch for coupling the carriage with said driving mechanism and a handle movable longitudinally with the carriage for controlling said clutch.

In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, a pressing board extending parallel with the way, and an iron carrying arm mounted on the carriage and extending over the pressing board, of a driving mechanism embodying a shaft having a right and left hand screw thread thereon, nuts mounted in the carriage and cooperating with said screw threads, a clutch for coupling either of said nuts with the car- 'riage for moving the latter in one direction or the other, and a lever controlling said clutch pivotally mounted on the carriage.

6. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, pressing board extending p rallel with said way, carriage mounted to reciprocate on the way, and carrying arm mounted on the carriage andextending over the pressing board, of a shaft having a right and left hand screw thread thereon and mounted in bearings parallel with, the way, nuts journaledin the carriage and cooperating with said screw thread, a clutch for coupling either of said nuts with the carriage to feed the latter in one direction or the other, an iron movably mounted in the arm, and connections intermediate the iron and clutch for controlling the latter to feed the carriage and iron longitudinally of the pressing board,

7. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, pressing board extending parallel with but spaced from the way, and drive shaft journaled in the frame and having right and left hand screw threads thereon, of nuts mounted in the carriage for cooperation with the threads of the.

drive shaft for moving the carriage in one direction or the other, an iron carrying arm mounted on the carriage, an iron' mounted in said arm in position to cooperate with garments spread on the essing board, and operating connections on the carriage controlling the said nuts whereby the carriage may be coupled'with the shaft for movement in either direction.

8. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, pressing board rigidly mounted at one end on the frame and extending at the opposite end parallel with said way but spaced therefrom, of an iron carrying arm mounted to swing ina horizontal plane on the carriage, a vertically tudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, a pressing board extending parallel with but spaced from the way, a driving shaft extending parallel with the way and havingright and left hand screw threads thereon, right and left hand nuts mounted on the carriage to cooperate with the threads on the driving shaft, a clutch mechanism for coupling up one or the other of said nuts for moving the carriage in one direction or the other, and a sprlng pressed arm controlling said clutch, of an iron carrying arm mounted on the carriage to swing toward and from a position over the pressing board, .an iron-movably mounted in said arm, and means mounted on the iron carrying arm for cooperating with the clutch controlling a-rm, wherebyv the clutch will be operated by the swinging of the iron carrying arm into-andout of operation, and connections intermediate said clutch arm and iron whereby the clutch will be additionally controlled by the movements of the iron in the iron carrying arm.

10. In a garment pressing machine, the

combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said Way, a pressing board extending parallel with but spaced from the way, a driving shaft with clutch conreciprocate on said way,

trolled connections intermediate said driving shaft and carriage for movingthe carriage in one direction or the other, of an iron carrying arm movably mounted on the carriage to swing over or away from the pressing board, a vertically movable iron mounted in said arm,ya clutch operating arm mounted on the carriage, a clutch arm operating lever mounted on the iron carrying arm in position to cooperate with the clutch operating arm when the iron is in position over the pressing board, and connections intermediate said clutch arm operating lever and iron whereby the clutch will be controlled both by the movements of the iron carrying arm in swinging the iron into and out of position, and by the movements of the iron into and out of engagement with a garment placed on the pressing board.

11. In a' garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, a pressing board extending parallel with the way and clutch controlled driving connections for moving athe carriage in one direction or the other,

of an iron carrying arm mounted on the, carriage and extending over the pressing board, a vertically movable iron mounted in said arm and a yielding clutch operating lever connection intermediate the clutch and vertically movable iron, whereby the clutch will be operated for feeding the carriage forwardly regardless of the depression of said iron varying distances in accordance with the thickness of the garments being pressed.

12. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to a pressing board extending parallel with the way, and a clutch controlled feeding mechanism for moving the carriage in one direction or the other, of a clutch operating arm, a spring for. moving said arm in one direction, an iron carrying arm movably'mounted on the carriage to swing toward and from the pressing board, an iron -movably mounted in said arm, a yielding clutch operating lever mounted on the iron carrying arm in position to cooperate with the clutch operat-. ing arm when the iron is over the pressing board, and to move the same into a neutral position, and a connection intermediate said lever and iron whereby upon the depression of the iron the clutch arm will be further operated. to render the clutch effective for feeding therarriage forwardly.

' 13. In a. garment pressing machine, the

combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a bracket at one end of said frame, a pressing board rigidly mounted at one end on said bracket and projecting parallel with the way, a feed screw in rear of the way, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on the way, and an iron c'arrying arm on the carriage projecting over the pressing board, of an iron movably mounted in said arm, clutch controlled connections intermediate said carriage and screw, a fixed shield located intermediate the frame and pressing board, and a movable shield inclosing the feed screw and rear portion of the carriage.

14. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, iron carrying armon the carriage and driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, ably mounted in the arm, and a pressing board rigidly mounted on the frame at one end and projecting parallel with the way, said pressing board embodying a wooden top and a reinforcing'channel iron at the bottom, whereby it is supported against yielding under the pressure ofthe arm.

15. In a garment pressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, a carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage and a press ing board projecting parallel with the way, of an iron carrying arm pivotally mounted on the carriage to swing horizontally over and away from the pressing board, an'i-ndependently vertically movable iron mounted in said arm, a lock for coupling the iron carrying arm and carriage against relative movement, and means controlled by the vertical movement of the iron for moving said look into and out of operative engagement. 16. In a garment ressing machine, the combination with the frame having a longitudinal way thereon, carriage mounted to reciprocate on said way, driving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, andpressing board extending parallel with the way, of an iron carrying arm mounted on the carriage and projecting over the pressing board, an iron mounted in said arm to swingin ahdrizontal plane-and to move toward aii d from the pressing board, and a lever projecting in rear of the iron and having a cam end for controlling the depression and horizontal swinging movements of the iron,

. EDWIN H. ZACHARIAS. Witnesses:

ETHEL D. Mon'rz, OSCAR WANNER.

of an iron 1nov-. 

